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Edmonton Ice District hotel upgraded to JW Marriott

The luxury hotel planned as a towering complement to Rogers Place has been upgraded, the coalition of companies developing the arena entertainment district announced Wednesday.
What was originally planned as a Delta Hotel anchoring the first 26 floors of a 55-storey condo tower will now be become the J.W. Marriott Edmonton, an even more exclusive brand and only the third one in Canada.

The luxury hotel planned as a towering complement to Rogers Place has been upgraded to an even more upscale brand, arena district developers said Wednesday.

What was originally planned as a Delta Hotel anchoring the first 26 floors of a 55-storey exclusive condo tower will now carry the JW Marriott banner.

When it opens in late 2018, it will become only the third such branded hotel in Canada, with one in Toronto and another opening this year in Vancouver. There are about 75 JW Marriott hotels around the world, typically in gateway cities, resort destinations and emerging luxury markets such as Hong Kong, Dubai, Mexico City and Bucharest.

“We think of it as a luxury brand that has luxury and some approachability to it,” said Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International. “In a sense, that’s perfect for Edmonton.”

The first JW Marriott Hotel opened in 1984 in Washington, D.C. and was named as a tribute to the company founder.

“It’s truly a global brand with tremendous familiarity by the luxury customer,” Sorenson said. “It is often ranked one of the three best luxury brands in the world with Ritz-Carlton, which we also own, and another brand, which I won’t name. It’ll be a great part of this transformation of downtown Edmonton.”

Sorenson downplayed worries of economic uncertainty. “A hotel is a long-term investment,” he said. “Obviously, you’ve got a situation around the world where oil prices are declining. … In many respects, for those who have got boldness and vision, this is probably exactly the time to act.”

In late 2014, the joint venture behind Ice District announced it was partnering with Delta Hotels and Resorts to open the downtown’s first newly constructed, four-star, full-service hotel in three decades.

But the branding of the hotel was revisited when Marriott acquired the Delta chain last year to become Canada’s largest hotel company. It’s also now merging with Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

“If you’ve been fortunate enough to experience the JW Marriott brand in the last 16 months, I can tell you it’s a heightened hotel experience unlike anything in Edmonton, unlike any other in the province of Alberta,” said Glen Scott, senior vice-president of real estate for Katz Group.

“It’s not that the Delta Hotel experience is worse. It’s different. It’s got a different vibe to it. It’s much more energetic and upscale.”

The JW Marriott Edmonton will feature 356 rooms and about 25,000 square feet of meeting and conference space, a 10,000-square-foot ballroom, a spa and a restaurant operated by Toronto-based Oliver and Bonacini Restaurants.

Jim Taylor, executive director of the Downtown Business Association, said Wednesday’s announcement made a positive story even better.

“We knew there was a hotel coming and the hotel was good news,” he said. “I would have been very happy with the Delta, a very nice hotel, but there’s kind of a mystique about JW Marriott.”

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